Thorny bamboo (Bambusa bambos) as a species described in 1678,
pre-Linnaeus time.

bambos. It has a flowering period of 43-49 years. In the year
2014-2016 it is flowering in a vast area of Uttarakhand and Uttar
Pradesh.

Identification guide

General

The plant can grow up to a height of 12 meters, with an 8 cm
thickness.

Roots and branches

Culms from a thick stoloniferous (i.e. it is a plant whose stems
grow at the soil surface or just below ground forming adventitious
roots at the nodes, and new plants from the buds) rhizome, erect,
10-20 cm across; culm sheaths broadly triangular, densely
brownish-hairy within, and scattered hairy without.

Found most abundantly in mixed moist deciduous forest, and not
so commonly in mixed dry deciduous forest and in semi-evergreen
forest, growing best along river valleys and in other moist
conditions, on hills at elevations up to 1,000 metres

Occurrence

1) Availability of the plant species in India: Throughout India,
except Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim.

2) Global distribution: native to southern Asia (India,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Assam, and Indochina). It is also
naturalized in Seychelles, Central America, West Indies, Java,
Malaysia, Maluku, and the Philippines.

Edible parts

World wide use:
Seeds, shoots, Soft branches

Used by tribal community in Jawhar :Young
Shoots

Methodof consumption

Jawhar
tribal: Young shoots
used as a vegetable as well as preserved in the form of a
pickle.

The juice from the soft branches of Bamboo during its burning is
collected and is used to get relief from pain and to cure the
infection of the ear.

Nutritional and medicinal information

Nutritional:

Bamboo shoots possess high protein, moderate fiber, and less fat
content. They are also known for having essential amino acids,
selenium and potassium.

Per 100 g of young shoots for green stem cultivators
contain:

water (90g)

protein (2.6g)

fat (4.1g)

carbohydrates (0.4g)

fiber (1.1g)

calcium (22.8mg)

phosphorus (37mg)

iron (1.1mg)

ascorbic acid (3.1mg)

Pharmaceutical significance

Hydro-alcoholic leaf extracts of Bambusa bambo consist of
β-sitosterol and stigmasterol and might be used as a safe
alternative to estrogen replacement therapies. The extract was not
cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells and is reported to induce cell
proliferation as well increased cell multiplication.

The seeds are also reported to have contraceptive property,
Piper betle (2-4 gm roots) and Bambusa bambos (2-4 gm seeds) are
taken orally in form of a tablet on empty stomach. However no
scientific evidence or research had been carried out to verify the
same.

Toxicity:

Shoots should not be eaten raw as a cyanogenic glycoside
taxiphyllin is present in raw shoots. It has several side effect on
human health and processing is require to eliminate the toxic
compound.

Harvesting and preserving

Tender shoots and stems are harvested from
wild.

Shoots are being preserved in the form of
pickle.

Propagation and Storage

Season of collection

Leaf Fall: March--May, Flowering: Once in a
life time, Fruiting: Once in a life time

How to grow it?

Direct sowing of seeds- it has a short viability of less than 3
months in normal storage.

Plants can also be propagated vegetatively by rhizome, culm and
branch cuttings and could be raised in a nursery and after the
production of roots and rhizomes they could be planted out in the
field during the rainy season in pits filled with a mixture of
compost and soil.

Dispersers: bird, Self, Insects

Pollinators: Bee, Wind

Method of storage :
Seeds"

Other uses

It is used as a wind breaker and live fence widely.

Leaves are fed to the cattle for fracture repair in tribal
areas of Maharashtra, Orissa.

Stem used to make flutes, ladders, baskets and poles.

In India, bamboo is used for making paper, since it provides
good quality paper pulp.